Hallandale Beach Blog - A common sense public policy overview offering a critical perspective on the current events, politics, govt., public policy, sports scene and pop culture of the U.S., South Florida and Europe, especially the UK and Sweden.

Monday, June 25, 2018

Hallandale Beach resolves litigation re 2014 shooting of Howard Bowe by the city's SWAT team, but facts that didn't add up in 2014, still don't in 2018. Beware of SJWs suddenly claiming to be civic activists when they were MIA when it really mattered

Last Wednesday night the City of Hallandale Beach City Commission voted to resolve the litigation involving the city as a result of the 2014 shooting of an African-American Hallandale Beach resident named Howard Bowe by the city Police Dept.'s SWAT unit in a bungled operation that smelled fishy and seemed dodgy from the get-go as far as I and many of my friends in the area were concerned.

Facts just didn't add up.

Didn't add up in 2014, still don't in 2018.

Below is my initial response to the publication on Thursday of Meryl Kornfield's article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

I've posted my tweets and explanatory comments in chronological order so that they make more sense. Especially for those of you who aren't active on Twitter and aren't used to reading comments from the bottom up.

Many of you reading this blog post today were among the 130-plus recipients of my May 28th, 2014 email that I reference in my tweets about the shooting of Howard Bowe in Hallandale Beach, and how the city seemed determined from the very start to do every single thing wrong in its aftermath.

Just think of how differently and better this all could have been handled years ago if someone in a position of leadership at Hallandale Beach City Hall had actually had its citizens and residents long-term best interests at heart.

Shown some savviness, a degree of compassion and some old-fashioned common sense.

Someone like then-Mayor Joy Cooper and City Manager Renee Morse.But they didn't.Just the opposite.

If you've been a longtime Small Business owner or resident of Hallandale Beach or a regular visitor of this fact-based blog you will be all too familiar with the various reasons why expecting Cooper and Morse to act responsibly and speak candidly to the community was never in the cards - it was common knowledge from their track records that they were deceitful to residents and stakeholders in ways that were and are shocking even by the very low ethical and moral standards of conduct common among South Florida's unsavory elected officials and highly-paid bureaucrats.To quote myself from a few years ago: For Mayor Cooper, the truth is like water was to the Wicked Witch - something to be avoided at all costs!

When THAT is your default culture at City Hall, as it was at the time, and STRICTLY enforced,

only very bad things can result.

And they did -over-and-over for over a decade.

Very bad things.

And for those of you who are new to the blog or reading this blog post from a distance and don't know the situation, in 2014, at the time of this shooting, Hallandale Beach, the city that is notable for being the poster child in South Florida for traffic gridlock and over-sized condominium towers and where 70% of its population lives east of US-1/Federal Highway, had a White Jewish female mayor, and an African-American City Manager, City Attorney and Police Chief.

That reality in 2014, far from an Old Boys Club-type environment, is an inconvenient fact for some people in the community suddenly trying to thrust themselves onto the scene who've never actually done anything selfless for residents and Small Business owners.

South Florida Sun Sentinel

Family of man killed in police raid to get $425K

South Florida Sun Sentinel

Meryl Kornfield, Staff writerJune 21, 2018

The Hallandale Beach City Commission voted unanimously to pay the family of a man who died after being shot by a SWAT team carrying out an early-morning search warrant in his home.

Howard Bowe, 34, died 11 days after the May 8, 2014 fatal raid when officers were serving a search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation but instead killed Bowe and his dog.

The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court two years against the city and four police officers involved after the shooting of the father of three, alleging the "military-style raid committed a series of errors resulting in unnecessary confusion and chaos among the officers."

A resolution to pass the $425,000 settlement wasn't mentioned during the Wednesday night City Commission meeting, but the city clerk said it was passed unanimously, 4-0. The city isn't admitting liability by settling, and the officers were already cleared during an internal review.

Commissioners went into an executive session w/ the city attorney re: another case HBC Medical Holdings LLC vs. Hallandale Beach CRA. HBC Medical Holdings is suing for breach of contract. Before they left the chambers, commissioners said the private session could last an hour.

Brian Stewart, an activist, used public comment to critique commission for "turning a blind eye" on shooting of Howard Bowe. He said "What will it take from someone in this city to stand up and say the name of Howard Bowe Jr."

You haven't for the same reason that nobody who does closely follows or participates in Hallandale Beach politics or government, people who actually attend meetings and have a familiarity with the true facts and civic landscape of this city, like myself and many of my friends had ever seen or heard of him before 2017.Last year Stewart showed up a few times at HB City Hall when I was there as usual in the back of the Chambers with my notepad, pen and camera, and as seems to be the case whenever I've seen him, he brought along some acolytes to cheer him on when he spoke.

While they were strong at barking out their agitprop on cue and showing everyone their anger, they were not so solid on the facts or the environment, as several well-informed friends and acquaintances told me during and after the meetings, when they walked up to me before I could slip away and get on my way home.

Enough people, mind you, that I could tell before they even said anything that they were genuinely peeved that someone was trying to portray himself as a genuine Hallandale Beach civic activist -yes, like that's a prestigious title, right- not just an attention-seeker.

The facts are that Stewart was someone who at City Hall and at public meetings as well as at informal occasional get-togethers where longtime concerned residents gather -often Panera Bread as a default for lack of enough good choices- was an unknown quantity because he was a no-show.There's no there there.
Stewart had never actually done anything of note in Hallandale Beach public policy prior to 2017, not least, showing up and asking good hard questions at public places where the public has a chance to evaluate people based on their words an actions and judge who is a work horse and who is a show horse.

What you need to know is that he never showed up when it counted in the past.

At both, it's rather hard not to notice the rather self-congratulatory tone.

Where was Brian Stewart and his Identity Politics friends in 2014 when he and they could have made a positive difference?

Could have held people like then-HB Mayor Joy Cooper, the city manager, the city attorney and the police chief to account?

It's tough to stroll into the City Chambers and act like an aggrieved Social Justice Warrior (SJW) when three of the most powerful people in the city are actually African-American, and another is 1 of the 4 other City Commissioners, no?These facts made Hallandale Beach unique in Florida among non-Majority Minority cities.(But none of them are in office or power now.)Those facts, though, never prevented me from publicly criticizing them to their faces over the years in the Chambers or at contentious civic meetings, whether calling them out for their bad judgment or lack of oversight when it was justified, a fact that many people in Hallandale Beach are well aware of, when others were much less eager to do so.

UPDATE: City Commission unanimously voted (4-0) for the resolution to settle. 3 people signed up to speak during public comment but weren’t called on until after one complained to the city manager. City attorney told me that was a clerical error. Read my story for @SunSentinel: https://t.co/WckRZodGrd

The suit says Howard Bowe, a 34 yo father of 3, was standing in his kitchen, wearing only underwear, & unarmed, when SWAT unlawfully killed his dog Tank, entered w/o knocking, shot Bowe & arrested his son who was asleep. Bowe died 11 days later. City could settle for $425,000. https://t.co/WckRZodGrd

1/ Within 48 hrs of this senseless death, like I had w/other curious incidents in #HallandaleBeach I went around the city asking Q's abt the circumstances of this to usually well-informed ppl who, like me, had long since become very skeptical of anything taking place @ City Hall

2/ and had necessarily suffered the consequences 4 our critical Q's at public mtgs and demands 4 increased accountability & transparency by #HallandaleBeach elected officials & bureaucrats. Almost everyone said the same thing. The city needed to get out in front of this rather

3/ than letting it fester. Typically, Mayor #JoyCooper, the CityComm. & CityMgr were not savvy enough to appreciate the need for this, and worse, seemed to know less abt the facts than just abt anyone I spoke to. This was exacerbated by failure of #SoFL media to timely report it.

4/ There were 3 chalkboards placed by #HallandaleBeach on S side of Foster Road, across fm Foster Park, w/nothing but messages -warnings!- abt this police shooting, which seemed pretty sketchy from the get-go.
So much so that ppl out-of-town were doing what #SoFL reporters were

8/ By the time Mr. Bowe was killed, the fact pattern of the City of #HallandaleBeach and its Police Dept. was clear. They wld NOT do either the smartest thing or even the most basic things to get info out that a reasonable person wld expect in the aftermath of such incidents.

9/ Instead of showing initiative and taking a leadership position, Mayor Cooper & the city & its PD cld NOT bother to do the sorts of things that ppl see done ROUTINELY in other U.S. cities & towns when this kind of incident happens in real-life -or even in TV shows or movies. 🤯

10/ Instead of being honest and understanding of why some parts of HB community were outraged, Mayor Cooper, the city & the PD double-downed on a strategy that consisted of 50% bunker mentality and 50% stalling -the worst of all possible combinations.
So how'd that turn out?🙄🤨

I strongly urge you to read Radley Balko's article in The Washington Post becase there is some highly-useful information and context there that will shock a lot of newcomers to Hallandale Beach, and give you an excellent idea of how shady things have really been there for decades.

It also will give longtime residents, i.e. people who think they're longtime because they've been in the area for 10-15 years, something to think about: you should have gotten involved years ago.

Things are the way they are today because you thought you were too busy to hold people in local government to account the way you should've.

In my opinion, it's the very sort of piece we should have seen in the South Florida news media at the time, or since, but never do.

Yes, not only giving some historical context but holding people in power or who used to hold power to account for their decisions and the logical consequences that followed.

Yes, you rarely if ever see that now in Miami-based news coverage, as I am forever mentioning and decrying here on this blog.

IF your company, business or firm's Consumer, B-2-B, or Institutional advertisement was already here at #HallandaleBeachBlog, your message would ALREADY be getting seen AND noticed every month by tens of thousands of upscale, well-informed, well-educated consumers, politicians, and business owners, inc. LOTS of high-quality, trusted taste-makers, influencers and members of the news media in South Florida and throughout Florida. And, be SEEN AND NOTICED by South Florida's most-read and influential bloggers and #SocialMedia personalities.
Sophisticated, quality-conscious and keyboard-articulate people whose informed opinions/preferences have a great deal of magnifying power online. Readers of the blog and Followers of my popular Twitter feed who are not just quick to share what they know or think with others via Social Media about news, ideas and their points of view, but who will also share their views with their large audiences about the positive customer/client experiences they have with you. Because nothing succeeds like a quality product or service that comes with quality customer service!
And at prices starting at just $90 a month.
Owing to my interests and knowledge, there's a good reason that my popular Twitter feed regularly gets tagged by influential Swedish and Scandinavian companies/businesses, and Biz & media personalities -like the Swedish Consulate in New York, which promotes Sweden in trade, investment, cultural and consular affairs- as well as is tagged regularly by South Florida's #1 #RealEstate reporter: RESULTS.
They all know that what they share with me -and what I share with them- gets SEEN AND NOTICED by people whose opinion matters. Brian Bandell of the South Florida Business Journal knows from experience that I not only know what's REALLY going on below-the-radar in the area, but they also know that I can add something new and compelling to the story or idea. Original content that in turn WILL be seen by those very same influencers, pols and businesses and be commented-upon, and becoming part of the ongoing public policy agenda and narrative! Yes, just like your company's ad in this space will not just be seen but NOTICED! For 2018, I'm averaging between 25,000 and 30,000 individual page views a month.#results!

Well, if something is going to be there w/that large a footprint -esp. cars on already #FDOT F-rated #HallandaleBeach Blvd., part of why @Browardinfo nixed an even larger un-related plan there yrs ago- it's a plus that a firm like @SLSHotels, w/v good rep, is running it. ��️����⛳️

���� folk sensation First Aid Kit are playing twice at Brooklyn Steel this week Sept 11-12 �������� The first night is already sold out - but there's still time to secure a spot for their second show. Don't miss out! ��⏳

I'm interested to see what you think. Two developers proposed zero payment for the land. What will the city prioritize, the most money possible from a real estate transaction, or a project that will generate the most economic activity or community benefit?

Jag älskar Stockholm - ST❤️CKHOLM

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, June 2010

My Twitter header currently features my June 2010 screenshot of Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria moments after her wedding in Stockholm. Her smile = amazing, priceless! Should have posted it years ago!

People died at #stonemandouglas b/c school failed to implement a simple security measure that had been recommended twice to teachers & administrators, according to testimony Wednesday. https://t.co/7HFUYC5Z6z

Some BSO deputies couldn’t remember the last time they attended mass-shooter training. Others couldn’t recall what they’d learned when they did attend, investigators reviewing the #stonemandouglas school shooting found. https://t.co/fgqRDM9NlD

MSD Commission member @maxschachter, whose son Alex died at #StonemanDouglas, criticized BSO's command & communication failures. "We had these same command & control problems at the airport [shooting] in 2017. I don’t see why it wasn’t corrected."

Lauren Book said she's heard teachers are afraid to voice complaints due to retribution. "Retribution is something we don't tolerate in district. If people are doing their job, they shouldn't have concerns about that," Runcie said.

What a country of despicable cowards Britain has become. As the eminent @Ayaan so correctly points out, what is the point of an asylum system if the woman most in need of it is denied protection? https://t.co/Tcj1GHkIf3

Yes, as I've said many times to #Broward/#DC friends, despite disagreeing w/him on policy issues. Like great old campaigns signs I've seen -outside of #FL!- Canova is "a voice, not an echo." #DWS is the annoying echo in yr head that U can't get rid of. @Buddynevins@crespogram

Go back in time with the Florida Stories app! Launched by the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, the interactive walking tour app will showcase archival photos, architectural renderings and audio histories for 12 locations. https://t.co/sfVh0fWe6G

Makes me wonder what happens when #Wynwood runs out of "genuine" ambiance/atmosphere and everything there feels even more homogenized and/or focus-grouped-to-death than already often seems case. @BillyCorben

Mikaela, my favorite and the most literary and "Big Thinker" of the 3 fabulous Akerman sisters - Malin, Jennifer & Mikaela- also knows how to make a snapshot just pop off the page! Heja Sverige! And Mikaela still writes her wonderful poems and essays with -yes- a typewriter! She is adorable in every possible way! :-)

1/ As usual, I agree w/@CGreenbarg: "Both the #Broward#Schools Auditor and I brought evidence of fraud by a politically connected firm. Reply? “That’s how Broward Schools does business.“ Only an honest outsider could bring reform to a corrupt county." @Colleen_Wright@smtravis

Want to meet other Nordic (minded) people? Head over to the Nordic After Work Social at Hudson Bar in Hudson NYC on Wednesday Oct 17, 6 PM, hosted by our friends at @NordicHouseNY. Come and bring your friends!

Our super-talented singing pal, Cissi Nilsson, continued to keep it real -with style- while on vacation this summer in #Styrsö, on west coast of #Sweden. :-) I can't wait to see Cissi in-person in #STHLM in early 2019, to make up for my postponed trip to Sweden and Iceland this past January, which I was so looking forward to enjoying, and bringing along my favorite human being so that she could see why I LOVE those two places so very much.

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